Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake

Girl Made of Stars is a story that needs more attention than it’s gotten so far. Ashley Herring Blake uses the tropes of twin psychology and astrology/mythology to push the main topic of discussion, which is rape, particularly consent. Sexual orientation and gender identity are also present in the book but are addressed in ways that normalize these notions.

There is a lot to untangle here. Mara and Owen are twins in high school, and like many twins, have a deep emotional and mental connection to one another. They have always been there for each other, until now, when Owen is accused to raping his girlfriend, Hannah. Mara is torn between her love for her brother and her friendship with Hannah but is also aware of the way society silences women who come forward about sexual assault. Now, Mara has to pick a side. Due to secrets of her own, Mara does, and it sends her into a terrible spiral within the family, her circle of friends, and within herself.

Mara turns to her best friend and ex-girlfriend, Charlie, for support. There is tension between Mara and Charlie as they both seek relationships with other people (Mara being bisexual and Charlie being a lesbian and non-binary). However, with this nightmare of an event, Charlie tries to act as the comfort Mara needs while maintaining friendship status; Mara wants Charlie’s support but is upset when she sees Charlie with another girl. This tension is constant throughout the book, fueling Mara’s negative view of herself and dependency on Alex, Owen’s best friend, for romantic intimacy.

In the meantime, Hannah wants to hide, while Owen tells his side of the story, making everyone believe him. But no one ever believes the woman anyway, according to Mara and Hannah. The girls come together to comfort one another in their grief. Girl Made of Stars is about overcoming this self-silencing and being silenced. It’s about giving power to the victims of sexual assault and the trauma it leaves its victims. While society continues to point fingers at the victim, Blake suggests an urgency to show all sides of a story, even the ones that make us uncomfortable and are difficult to admit truth. This book is a must-read because it shows the necessity of coming forward and the process/aftermath of being a victim encouraged to become a survivor.

Find Girl Made of Stars here.

Finding Brooklyn written by Dan Sadlowski and illustrated by Allison Pierce

An independently published picture book about a young girl discovering what makes her “The Next Great Superhero,” Finding Brooklyn, written by Dan Sadlowski and illustrated by Allison Pierce, delves into the qualities of what makes for a great superhero. We’re all familiar with the Justice League and X-Men, but what about us? Do we have a chance at becoming superheroes?

According to her peers, there is nothing special about Brooklyn. She wears a pin with a heart on it and skeleton gloves she found one day. But that’s not special enough. Brooklyn is also a daydreamer, getting caught in class with a question she has no idea how to answer: “Who will be The Next Big Superhero?”

Brooklyn answers, “I’m not sure, but I do dream that one day it could be me.” Her peers laugh, and Brooklyn feels low. With no one to turn to, as she’s an orphan, Brooklyn remembers that superheroes must be “brave in a most troublesome hour.” When the Wickets, a super villain, enters the picture, Brooklyn steps up. Her heart button and skeleton gloves glow!

But those are easily destroyed by the Wickets. Brooklyn has to find what really makes her a superhero in this most troublesome hour. And from such a little girl, what could that be?

Brooklyn is relatable to many young and old readers. We all want to be something BIG. We all want to do something IMPORTANT. The internal journey that Brooklyn takes is one that’s familiar to almost all of us. It begs the question: What is it about us, as individuals, that make us a superhero or “AWE-MAZING”?

The plot of Finding Brooklyn is simple and straightforward: an origin story of a superhero with a villainous showdown that proves everyone wrong. While this simplicity gives way to predictable events that act as touchstones that must be addressed in any origin story, the fact that the protagonist is a girl adds to the repertoire of strong female characters. The world of superheroes is largely male-dominated, but Brooklyn’s presence and heart bring her story to life. The book leaves me wanting to know more about Brooklyn as a character and how the events in this story affect her life from here on out; much like every other superhero story—what’s next?

The art is enjoyable with pops of color in the text to emphasize certain words. There is a lot of white space, but color is used very purposefully. Only certain traits of characters are colored; the rest are black-and-white sketches. This makes the full color, yet simple palette, of Brooklyn stand out more, especially when the Wickets shows up. And when things go dark, the pages do too, dramatizing the showdown. So, while plain at first sight, it’s obvious that Pierce gave great consideration to color to provide emphasis and to set the tone for each scene.

This is a great book for young readers, who like or even dislike the more popular superheroes. The focus on the average person allows readers to relate to Brooklyn and see themselves as something more than just a “normal” person.

Find Finding Brooklyn here.